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Dubai to host England cricketers

England will hold a three-day training camp on Friday, Saturday and Sunday before flying on to India for a tour that features four Tests, two Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) and five One-Day Internationals (ODIs).

The squad will have access to centre-wicket practice on the ICC GCA’s two full-sized ovals, indoor and outdoor net practice and the state-of-the-art gymnasium.

The players will also be able to use the most up-to-date technology, including Pro Batter which allows batsmen to replicate facing the world’s leading bowlers.

The England cricket team practice during a training session at the ICC Global Cricket Academy in Dubai Sports City. — AFP file photo

It is a return visit to the ICC GCA for England, who made extensive use of the facility during their tour to the UAE in January and February, when they faced Pakistan in Test, ODI and T20I matches.

Dubai Sports City’s (DSC) Head of Sports Business, Maqbul Dudhia said: “Dubai Sports City and the ICC Global Cricket Academy is delighted to host the England squad and we look forward to them making full use of our world-class facilities.

“They are gearing up for what should be a testing tour of India and they are coming here because they know we can offer world-class facilities that will allow them to prepare in the best way possible.

“The ICC GCA has it all – pitches that can be prepared to replicate the conditions they are likely to face, state-of-the-art technology to help the players fine-tune their games and great weather that allows them to work outdoors as much as they want.

“England’s visit is another illustration of the fact that Dubai and the ICC GCA is the perfect location for cricket teams from all over the world to visit to work at their skills using our world’s-best facilities.”

The visit of the England cricket team is the continuation of a busy period for cricket at DSC and the ICC GCA.

In September, the Dubai International Cricket Stadium at DSC hosted Pakistan and Australia for three T20Is, the second of which produced the venue’s first-ever sell-out with a capacity crowd of 25,000.

Then in early October, the ICC GCA hosted matches in the Asian Cricket Council’s Elite Trophy, pitting the best teams from the region below Test level up against each other in one-day matches.

That tournament was thrillingly shared by the UAE and Nepal following a tie in the final, after the host country beat the much-fancied Afghanistan in the semi-finals.

And following England’s visit, the ICC GCA will host the Kerala Premier League, the Gulf Super 6s and the second staging of the Arabian Cricket League.

The Netherlands squad is also set to visit the ICC GCA for up to 12 days and a High Performance Camp for the leading players from the top Associate and Affiliate teams is also scheduled to take place.

“The ICC GCA calendar is a packed one with the facilities almost sold-out right up until the end of January,” said Dudhia.

“The ICC GCA is being used by the full spectrum of people – from the elite teams like England to the recreational users who just want a casual net session and juniors who aspire to be the next generation of top-class players.

“That is an illustration of what a great facility the ICC GCA is and how popular it has become since it opened in October 2010.

“We are proud of what the ICC GCA offers and given its popularity anyone wanting to use these world-class facilities should get in touch as soon as possible to make a booking to see for themselves why England and a host of other top teams come here.”

The England and Wales Cricket Board has indicated that its squad’s training camp will be closed and there will be no media access ahead of their flight to India late on the night of 28 October.

Kevin Pietersen’s attendance at the camp, following his recall to the national side, will be dependent on the progress of his Delhi Daredevils side in the ongoing Champions League Twenty20 tournament taking place in South Africa.

If Delhi make the semi-finals of the tournament, which are scheduled to take place on 25 and 26 October, with the final on 28 October, Pietersen may travel directly to India rather than attend the camp.